


Clandestine

by freckled_yeezus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drug Use, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Undercover cop!Levi, Undercover cop!Marco, alcohol use, professor!erwin, undercover cop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-06 15:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1863603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckled_yeezus/pseuds/freckled_yeezus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco is young, hard-working, and on the right track for a promotion. As an officer on the Jinae Police Force, he does his best to ensure the city is safe and does his job with pride. Having proven time and time again that he is an irreplaceable asset to the force, he is offered a new assignment in which he will be attending Trost University, going undercover as a student in order to infiltrate and assist in the take-down of a drug cartel. It's a complicated assignment with many rules and restrictions - some of which Marco may just have to break when he slowly begins to fall for his roommate, a real college student named Jean Kirschstein.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This here is my second fic on AO3 and I'm feeling pretty nervous! I just love JeanMarco and wanted to contribute to this lovely fandom, so I hope you all enjoy it!  
> 

Marco hummed softly, a wide smile on his face as he tapped his fingers lightly on his steering wheel in time with the song on the radio. He made a quick turn into the police station's large concrete parking structure, holding his access card up to the scanner at the gate. Once Marco was granted access, he drove up the short ramp and observed the Jinae Police cars driving past him, heading onto the streets to begin their patrol.

An officer stuck his hand out from his car window, giving Marco a small wave. Marco grinned and waved in response before smoothly turning into his designated parking spot and putting his car in park. He continued to hum as he turned his keys, shutting off the car engine, and stepped outside.

“Morning, Bodt.” A voice called out and Marco turned, grinning broadly once he saw a fellow officer – Annie Leonhart – stepping out from her own car next to his.

“Morning, Annie,” Marco smiled as he threw his duffel bag over his shoulder, falling into step next to Annie as they headed towards the entrance to the police station. Despite having been an officer for four years now, Marco couldn't help the surge of pride he felt each time he stepped into the large building.

Though he wasn't one to brag, Marco couldn't deny that he was proud of his accomplishments. Having entered the police academy as soon as he was of age, graduating the program with flying colors, and being offered an immediate position on the force, he had begun to make a name for himself at only 25. 

Ever since he was a child, Marco had dreamed of being a cop. He had fond memories of watching cop TV shows with his father, and being in awe of how 'tough' and 'cool' the officers were. He had constantly dreamed of being able to protect the people of his city in the same way the officers on television had, and was determined to become a police officer. After years of hard work, he had succeeded and became an essential asset to the Jinae Police force. He was a quickly rising star on the force, and everyone knew it.

“Hey you two,” Sergeant Petra Ral gave Annie and Marco a wide smile as they entered the building, heading towards the security desk. She was perched on top of the desk, observing as people began to head through security, flashing their badges to the guards. “You’re early.”

“Chief Pixis said there was an important meeting,” Marco told her as he held out his ID to the guard, giving him a smile. “We have to be there for 7 sharp.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Petra said excitedly, clapping her hands in delight. “How could I forget! I am so excited!” She hopped down from her spot on the desk, following the two younger officers towards the elevator.

“Do you know what it’s about?” Marco asked as they entered the large elevator. Petra grinned widely, pressing the button leading to the basement.

“I do, but I can’t say anything! I’ll leave it up to the Chief to tell you!”

Marco let out a small sigh, feeling slight concern. He hated not knowing what was going on. He glanced over at Annie, but she simply stared ahead blankly, remaining quiet. 

Marco had known Annie since their days in the academy. They were often paired up for training exercises and had grown somewhat close. Although Annie wasn’t the type to open up to others or chat much, they spoke fairly often and Marco had succeeded in drawing out a rare smile or two on occasion. She kept herself at a distance from the others, and although Marco suspected she preferred it that way, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was due to her past.

Her father had been involved in one of the DEA’s largest cases in the past decade – having been a former high-level drug kingpin. After years of trying to take him down, the DEA finally succeeded when Annie had agreed to flip and share her knowledge with them. She had confessed to his cartel’s crimes and led the DEA to her father’s location, which resulted in her freedom.

Seeing the error in her ways, Annie had joined the police academy and Marco had become one of her closest colleagues. He was glad to get to know her better over the years, but couldn't help but wish that she would open up to him a little more. 

The elevator let out a  _ding!_  as it reached the basement floor, the doors sliding open slowly. Directly in front of the doors was Sergeant Levi Ackerman, arms crossed and an unimpressed look on his face. He was tapping his foot impatiently. “You’re late.”

“Levi!” Petra said brightly, stepping out of the elevator. She glanced down at her watch. “It’s only 6:30, cut them a break!”

“They still have to get their equipment and head to the meeting room for 7,” Levi said, glancing up at Marco and tilting his head, gesturing for him to follow him to the changing rooms. “And I have to talk to Bodt.”

“Okay. We’ll see you two in a few minutes!” Petra smiled, heading down the opposite end of the hall with Annie towards the women’s change rooms. Marco followed Levi down the hall, opening the door to the men’s change room and heading for his own locker. He glanced back at Levi to see him scrunching his nose in disgust at the state of the change room. Levi was a small, short-tempered man with an annoying cleaning habit, but he was one of the strongest men on the force, and definitely the most intimidating. Marco both feared and admired him, always making sure to stay on his good side.

“So you know about the meeting, then?” Marco asked as he opened his locker, throwing in his duffel bag and beginning to pull on his vest. He secured his radio to his vest and wrapped his utility belt around his waist. Levi nodded as he leaned against the locker next to Marco, crossing his arms.

“I can’t say much,” he told him, “but I want you to know that if you’re not feeling confident when you hear what’s happening, that it’s okay to ask to be reassigned.”

Marco frowned as he clipped his gun holster to his belt, grabbing his hat and then shutting the locker door. “What do you mean?”

Levi sighed, pushing himself from the locker and standing straight, following Marco towards the exit. “It’s a new… assignment, of sorts. It’s going to be tricky. They’re going to ask you to do it, and I want you to know before you go in there that it’s okay to say no.”

Marco remained quiet for a moment, taking in the information. He could feel himself growing anxious. He understood that Levi and Petra couldn't give him any more information, but wished they could at least give him a few hints. “Okay… well, thank you, Sarge.” Levi nodded in response.

“Let’s wait for the others in the meeting room.” Levi told him, stepping into the elevator with Marco once more. He pressed the button for the 5th floor and Marco stared down at the floor in silence as the elevator rose, contemplating what Levi had told him.

Marco wasn’t the type to scare easy. He became nervous, or paranoid, but always braved through it. Whatever they were going to tell him in this meeting, he knew he could handle it – they wouldn't ask him to do it otherwise. But Levi’s words made him nervous… what could he possibly be in for? 

When the elevator doors finally opened, Marco glanced around the entire floor, observing the many uniformed men and women that rushed from desk to desk, working on reports and answering phone calls. He loved seeing the busy days in the station, although it couldn’t beat a day out on the roads in his police car.

“Morning, Sarge,” Mike Zacharias greeted as Levi and Marco walked past him towards the meeting room. “Marco.”

“Morning, Mike,” Marco greeted, giving him a nod as he pulled open the large glass doors, allowing Levi and Mike to enter before him. He glanced inside to see a few officers already inside, including Petra and Annie.

“Lookin’ good, Bodt,” a fellow officer, Hitch, gave Marco a sly grin as he slid into a seat next to her. Marco gave her a small smile as Marlowe rolled his eyes from his seat on the other side of Hitch.

“Really, Hitch?” Marlowe sighed, clicking the pen in his hand repeatedly, an annoyed look on his face. Hitch narrowed her eyes, shooting him a glare.

“What, you jealous?” she sneered. “Nothing wrong with telling him he looks good!”

“Jealous? Pah!” Marlowe snorted, continuing to click his pen. “You wish!”

“You’re definitely jealous!” Hitch slapped his shoulder. “Just ‘cause Marco is cuter than you –”

“Do you two  _ever_  shut up?” Annie sighed deeply, pulling out the empty seat next to Marco and sitting down. Hitch threw up her middle finger towards Annie, continuing to argue with Marlowe in a hushed voice. Marco couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. It was well known that Hitch and Marlowe had a lot of tension in their relationship – their behavior together ranged from sickeningly sweet to deadly silence to headache-inducing arguments. Unfortunately, the station had more than its fair share of the latter.

“Good morning, everyone,” a loud voice caused everyone to straighten in their seats, glancing towards the front. The Chief of Police, Dot Pixis, pulled out the seat from the desk at the front of the room, sitting down. He placed his coffee (which Marco had quickly learned as a rookie, was more parts whiskey than it was cream and sugar) and binder on the table, shifting through the papers as Captain Hanji Zöe fiddled with the projector next to him, eventually displaying a PowerPoint presentation on the front wall. The first slide was a blown-up version of the Jinae Police insignia.

“Not too much to discuss this morning. You’ll be on your way in a minute,” Pixis began as Hanji rushed to turn off the lights, allowing the presentation to be seen clearly. “A quick congratulations to Commander Dawk for his arrest last week. He and his team managed to take down a Grow-Op on Friday evening. They seized about 300 cannabis plants and four kilos of marijuana buds. You should be very proud of yourselves.” Marco glanced over at Nile, who was sitting in a corner with a smug smirk on his face as everyone clapped lightly.

“Let’s see…nothing else to mention…” Pixis muttered, shuffling through his papers. “Ah, zoning. To those of you patrolling A-7 today… there’s been a few calls coming in about a suspicious person in the area. Green hoodie, always pulled over their head. About 5’3. Just keep an eye out, and follow standard procedure if you run into them,” Pixis told them, continuing to flip through his binder.

“Lucky for you, there’s nothing else to mention so those of you on patrol this morning can go ahead and begin your day. A few of you need to stay behind, let’s see…” he glanced down, clearing his throat. “Ackerman. Bodt. Leonhart. Ral. Zacharias. Zöe. You six stay behind, everyone else can head for their cars. See Shadis for your zone if you don’t know it. Stay safe out there.”

With that, light chatter broke out through the room as officers began to stand, adjusting their utility belts and heading for the door with their partners. The six previously named officers, including Marco, remained in their seats. He glanced around anxiously, fidgeting with his vest zipper. He took a deep sigh. He felt his heart pounding slightly quicker than usual.

“Now, you six. Some of you may have already heard the exciting news, but we have a new assignment.” Pixis stood up from his desk, coming to stand next to the projection on the wall. “We will be working in co-operation with the FBI, who will have an agent representing them here beginning tomorrow when the assignment begins. They’ve allowed us to use our own officers for the job, as we’ve convinced them we have the best of the best.”

Hanji clicked to the next slide, which was simply a candid photo of a man. Marco blinked. He had dark skin, with a few visible scars on his face and arms. He had wild, dark hair and a long beard. Beneath his hair, Marco could see severe dark circles around his eyes. He was looking off into the distance in the photo, a cruel grin on his face.

“This is our target,” Pixis began. “They call him ‘The Beast.’ He’s the leader of an international drug cartel called The Titans, who I’m sure you've all heard of. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about him. Not even his real name.” Marco’s eyes widened as Hanji flipped to the next photo. It was another photo of The Beast, although this time it was a full-body shot. He was walking down the street with another man. Marco could see just how large the man was now. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall, extremely broad, with a slightly protruding stomach.

The man next to him was slightly shorter, and very lanky. He had long blond hair falling over his small, beady eyes and an eerily wide smile on his face.

“This is his right hand man, who they call ‘Smiley’ for obvious reasons,” Pixis told them, gesturing towards the photo. “The Titans were based in Mexico for a few years, but they've begun to build a name here. They’ve enlisted local help, most notably at schools in the area.” Hanji flipped to the next slide, which displayed pictures of the schools in nearby cities – Trost University and Shiganshina District High School. “The Titans’ main purpose is drug trafficking. They’ve begun recruiting student dealers at this university and this high school. So far we’ve found marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, and prescription drugs including Xanax and Oxycodone. We haven’t found any heroin yet, but our informant tells us that the Beast does sell it.

“We don’t have much information yet, but it seems that the cartel has assigned this territory to a high-up cartel member, who is then supplying it to a handful of trusted students, who then sell it to their fellow classmates. We need to find out who that person is. It could be someone off-campus, a student, or even a faculty member.”

“How do you know it’s the work of The Titans?” Petra inquired, scribbling notes onto her notepad.

“The high school students have been caught with only marijuana and the rare ecstasy tablet at this point, but the university has already had two drug-related overdoses and multiple drug busts. All of the drugs were tested and found to be the same as what the FBI has previously seized from the ex-Titan member.”

Petra nodded slowly, continuing to write in her notepad. Marco furrowed his brow, processing the information as Hanji flipped to another slide, showing a slightly blurry photo of The Beast and Smiley. He felt a slight chill go up his spine – the man looked absolutely terrifying. The ever-present look of malice on Smiley’s face and the dark, dangerous glint in The Beast’s eyes were unsettling. Marco had no doubt they were deadly.

“Now, you may be wondering how you all fit into this,” Pixis glanced over at Annie and Marco. “The six of you in this room have specifically been chosen for this based on your aptitude and intelligence and we are confident you will lead us to success with this assignment. Your main goal is to assist in the take-down of this cartel through an undercover operation.” At this, Marco’s eyes widened. Before he could fully comprehend this information, Pixis continued.

“If you choose to accept, you will be placed as a student either in the high school or university, and it’s up to you to locate the dealers and gain their trust. Once you've done this, you need to convince them you’d be an excellent asset to their team. If you manage to gain their trust, they should introduce you to their supplier. If all goes well, you’ll begin to work for the supplier as well. After you make contact with the supplier, we catch them in the act, arrest them, and charge them with possession for the purpose of trafficking. When we arrest them, we offer them amnesty to tell us more about the Titans and the location of The Beast.”

“So what you’re saying, sir,” Marco raised a hand, speaking slowly, “is that… we’re going to go undercover? And become drug dealers?” Pixis nodded.

“Yes. Once you receive your share to distribute, you bring the supply here and we’ll give you the cash value to return to the others. You show them right away how efficient you are, and they’ll introduce you to the supplier in no time.”

Marco nodded enthusiastically, unable to hide the excited grin on his face. This would be his first big assignment since he became an officer – not to mention it would be  _undercover_.

“Don’t get too excited there, Bodt,” Levi raised an eyebrow in amusement. “You look like you’re going to piss your pants.”

“Levi!” Petra scolded and Marco flushed a deep shade of red. “At least he’s taking it seriously, unlike you!”

“I’m a 30-year-old Police Sergeant and they’re making me go undercover as a  _teenager_ ,” Levi snorted, bitterness evident in his voice. “How the fuck do you think I’m gonna feel?”

“This could be fun!” Hanji spoke up. "You should feel lucky they chose you instead of Erd, Auruo, or any of the other detectives!"

"They didn't pick Auruo because he looks like a fucking senior citizen," Levi shot back and Mike covered his mouth with his hand, laughter coming out as a snort. 

" _Focus_ , everyone," Pixis interrupted, clearing his throat. Hanji and Levi grew silent, eyes back on Pixis once more. "Unless you have any objections, we've decided the placement. Levi and Marco will be going undercover as students at Trost University, and Petra and Annie will be going to Shiganshina. Hanji and Mike will be joining you four, but will live off-campus. They're going to be who your report to, as we don't want you to be seen coming back here at all during the assignment."

"I'll be like your mom!" Hanji said excitedly, and Levi rolled his eyes.

"Send four-eyes to Shiganshina with the girls, not to Trost with us," Levi told Pixis. "I can deal with Mike, I suppose."

"Oh, thanks," Mike muttered as Hanji pouted. Pixis sighed in frustration.

"You three, I swear...." he said. “Let me finish. Petra and Annie – you are going to be high school seniors at Shiganshina. You may keep your first names, but we'll be assigning you IDs with a new last name. Annie, you will be living with your father, Mike, and your adopted sister, Petra." Annie nodded, and Petra blinked.

"Why am I adopted? Is it the hair?"

"No, it's the nose," Levi cut in and Annie shot him a glare. Mike smirked in amusement.

" _Levi,"_  Pixis spoke sternly, and Levi pressed his lips into a thin line, nodding and becoming silent. 

"Marco and Levi," Pixis continued, "You two will be college students at Trost. Your last names will be changed as well. You're cousins. Levi is the younger Politics major, and Marco is the older Law major. You will be living in the dorms with assigned roommates in the same program as yourself."

"We won't be in the same room?" Marco questioned. 

"Correct," Pixis nodded. "We want you two to stay apart in order to branch out and find different information, rather than focus on the same lead. Whoever comes in contact with the dealers will express that the other, their cousin, wants in as well. But otherwise, share only vital information, and work solo. You'll visit your 'mother,' Hanji," at this, Hanji pumped a victorious fist into the air and Levi let out a sigh of annoyance, "every other weekend. That's when you'll give us reports on any new information."

Pixis paused for a moment, glancing around the room. “This is not an easy assignment. There is  _no room_  for mistakes. No one can find out who you are, and you _cannot_  jeopardize your chances of coming in contact with the supplier. If you don’t think you can do this, we understand if you must refuse it.”

Pixis took another swig from his coffee mug as he waited for a response. When the room remained silent, he nodded slowly. “I’ll say it once more. This is an  _undercover_  mission. Make friends if you must, but  _no one_  can find out who you are. Romantic and sexual relationships of any kind are absolutely prohibited and you must keep your fake persona at all times. You are  _not_  to get kicked out or put on academic probation. You won’t be able to come back to Jinae until we have the supplier in custody, and must temporarily cut off all contact with family and friends here. One slip-up could jeopardize everything, and we can’t afford that. So allow me to repeat myself –  _if you cannot do this_ , now is your chance to refuse.”

Marco clenched his fists tightly, heart pounding in his chest. He knew this was going to be a difficult assignment and that he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. It was going to be stressful and mentally exhausting, but he was determined to succeed. He would be working with some of the best officers in their district, and was honored to be a part of the job. There was no way he was about to turn down this opportunity to put an end to this awful group of criminals.

“Well, if no one has anything to add, then I’d say we’re all set,” Pixis told them. “There’s a number of details in regards to your assignment, the targets, and your personas that we need to go over, but Zacharias and Zöe will go through them with you personally. Any questions?” He glanced around, smiling widely as no one spoke up. “Well then. Welcome to the undercover unit, everyone.

 

 

 

“Okay, I think I have it,” Marco nodded, leaning back in his desk chair, glancing up at the ceiling. “So my name is Marco Dupois, I’m –”

“It’s Du _bois_ ,” Levi cut him off, sitting on the corner of Marco’s small desk. A rookie shuffled by with an armful of case briefs, accidentally bumping into Levi’s foot. They spluttered an apology as Levi gave them an annoyed glare.

“Dubois. Right,” Marco nodded, glancing down at the file in his hands containing the information on his new identity. Levi sighed.

“The s is silent, shithead. It’s French,” he told him, and Marco cringed slightly. “You can’t fuck this up.”

“I got it,” Marco told him, straightening up in his seat and giving Levi a determined stare. “I won’t fuck up. I promise.”

“You better not,” Levi agreed. “Now, what’s your story?”

“I’m 21 years old,” Marco began, staring up at the ceiling as he recalled the information. “I’m from Trost, but I live in the dorms because I don’t want to be a burden on my Aunt Hanji, who’s your mom. You live in the dorms too because you needed to get away from her. Uh… I’m a Law major in my third year, and… hobbies? Do I have specific hobbies?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Levi shrugged. “Just make up the rest as you go along. Say you like running and watching movies or something. Say whatever you want – just make sure you have the basic info down.”

“Right,” Marco nodded, flipping through his file.

“Just remember to play up your shyness and act younger than you are,” Levi told him. “Your freckles make you look like a man-child, so you have that advantage.”

“Look who’s talking,” Marco mumbled and Levi shot him a look, eyes dangerously wide.

“What was that, Bodt?”

“N-nothing,” Marco said quickly, clearing his throat. “Uh… wanna go over your persona?”

“No. I’m going home,” Levi said, sliding from the top of the desk. “Go home and get your shit packed so we can leave early in the morning,  _cousin_.” With that, he turned and headed for the door, zigzagging through the messy array of desks, giving officers with cluttered desks dirty looks as he passed.

Marco sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair and shutting his eyes. He listened to the bustling noise of the entire floor – multiple phones ringing, people shouting back and forth, and papers shuffling. This would be the last time he would hear it for a while.

Although he was excited to finally have a big assignment, he couldn’t deny that he was completely terrified as well. He would do his best, naturally, but what if he somehow ruined everything? They were putting a lot of trust into him, and although he would have senior officers to assist him and Annie, one wrong move could ruin everything.

On the bright side, this would give Marco a chance to experience college life. Though he wasn’t much of a partier or social butterfly, he would be able to see what he had missed out on seven years ago when he entered the police force instead of university. This new persona was a chance to see how things could have been, all while doing the job he was trusted with.

Marco smiled lightly as he gathered his necessary files and belongings, sliding them under his arm as he pushed in his chair, giving his desk one final look before heading for the elevators. Beginning tomorrow, he would be Marco Dubois.

 

 

Jean Kirschstein was finally getting a roommate.

And he couldn’t be any more anxious.

“Connie, don’t just  _throw_  that box!” Jean snapped, placing a heavy cardboard box gently on his creaky dorm bed.

“Relax, dude!” Connie shot back, lightly kicking the box he had thrown onto the floor, just to aggravate his friend a little more. Jean glared at him. “I don’t know what’s got your panties in a knot, but don’t take it out on me!”

“He’s pissed because he’s getting a roommate,” Reiner grinned, voice strained due to the multiple boxes in his arms. He dropped them onto an empty desk and let out a deep breath of relief. “You have way too many boxes.”

“Roomates are fun!” Connie exclaimed. “I’d hate living alone... it's so  _boring_. Look how well me and Reiner get along!”

“You two got lucky,” Jean grumbled, flopping onto his bed. He glanced over at the other side of the small dorm room, at the empty bed where his future roommate would be. “He’s gonna hate me, and I’m probably gonna hate him.”

“I know you’re used to having a lot of room to yourself, but you’ll adjust to sharing,” Reiner assured, taking a seat in one of the desk chairs.

“You don’t know that,” Jean muttered, glancing up at the ceiling. He couldn’t admit that it wasn’t the lack of personal space that upset him – it was the fact that he was worried his roommate would find him insufferable and immediately request a transfer.

Jean had a small group of friends whom he cared for deeply, including his childhood friends Connie and Reiner, but he was an outcast, of sorts. He was aware that it was due to the fact that he didn’t have very many redeeming qualities – he was too sarcastic, rude, and although he hated to admit it, he could be pretty stuck-up. 

Since childhood, Jean had tried (and failed) many times to make new friends. His personality tended to immediately turn people off, and he was usually left embarrassed. Now, at the age of 20, Jean had come to terms with the fact that he was hopeless and gave up trying. He didn’t even understand why his current friends had put up with him for so long.

He had been lucky his first two years of university, being given his own dorm and no roommate. Unfortunately, the school had informed Jean that they approved a transfer this past week before classes officially began, and had no choice but to put him with Jean. Since hearing the news, Jean couldn’t help but worry that he would be assigned to live with the roommate from hell, or worse – a nice, perfectly normal guy who would quickly realize how insufferable Jean was.

 “Do you even know who it’s gonna be?” Connie asked, kicking Jean’s dorm door shut and sitting on the empty bed across from Jean. Jean shook his head.

“Nah. All I know is his name is Marco Dubois. He’s the same age and he’s in Law too. I tried to creep him, but he doesn’t have a Facebook or anything like that.”

“Weird,” Connie frowned, bouncing slightly on the creaky bed. “Well, if he ends up being a total bore, you know we’re right down the hall. We don’t mind you crashing on the floor or something,” he told Jean. Reiner nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, guys,” Jean smiled appreciatively. “I guess we’ll find out.”

Though that made him feel a little better, Jean couldn’t shake the feeling of dread. He just kept coming up with awful scenarios. What is his roommate didn’t shower? What if he was an ex-con pyromaniac? What if he tried to cut off Jean’s hair and give it as an offering to some cult? Jean couldn’t have that – it had taken him years to perfect his hairstyle.

Before Jean could come up with any more ridiculous theories, there was a light knock at the door. His eyes widened and he jumped up from his bad, swallowing hard. Connie and Reiner’s heads shot towards the door and Jean walked slowly across the small room, pausing in front of the door for a moment. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Please don’t be crazy…” he muttered quietly, before opening his eyes and grasping the door handle tightly. He turned it slowly, pulling the door open. He glanced up at the male waiting on the other side of the door, and his eyes widened slightly.

Jean couldn’t help the sudden sharp feeling he felt in his chest once he locked eyes with the man standing across from him in the doorway. _Holy eyes,_ Jean couldn’t help but think. They were a nice golden color, he noted, framed by dark lashes and brows. _Come on, Jean, say something_ , he scolded himself. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the stranger – what was wrong with him?

The other boy ran a nervous hand through his short black hair, a forced smile on his lips, which showed off straight white teeth. There was worry evident in his eyes.  _Fuck_ , Jean cursed internally,  _this guy is hot._  And although his eyes were nice, the nicest thing about this guy who he  _prayed_  was Marco was definitely his freckles.

Jean always found freckles appealing – and this guy had a lot. There was a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose and cheeks, with a few strays dotted around the rest of his face and neck, disappearing below his black v-neck t-shirt. He was built, too – clearly athletic with toned arms and broad shoulders. It could have looked comical, Jean thought – this well-toned guy, with freckles that made him look so innocent – but to Jean, he just looked perfect.

“Uh…” was all Jean could manage to say, blinking in confusion. The dark-haired man blinked, before giving a more natural, shy smile. He held out a hand, and Jean glanced down at it in confusion, momentarily distracted by his toned and freckled forearms, before looking up at his face.

“Hey, I’m Marco. Your new roommate?”

Jean slowly grasped Marco’s hand, shaking it slightly. He ignored the slight shock that shot through him as their skin made contact. “Jean. Uh, Kirschstein. Nice to meet you.”

 _Someone up there hates me,_ Jean thought. Of course he would be cursed to have a kind, ridiculously attractive roommate. This guy was going to immediately see how weird and irritating Jean was and maybe even request a transfer. Jean continued to stare at Marco’s face, which now wore a confused expression as he glanced down at his hand, which Jean was still grasping in his own.

Jean flushed slightly, quickly ripping his hand away from Marco’s. "Sorry, uh, come on in. I have some friends in here right now, so..." he moved out of the way, allowing Marco to come in, hiking his backpack higher up on his shoulder. He smiled kindly once he saw Reiner and Connie, and began to quickly introduce himself. Jean remained by the door, watching as his friends shook hands with his new, apparently social, stupidly attractive roommate. Jean let out a quiet sigh of defeat.

 _I'm so fucked._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it so far, and I'd love to hear your opinions! If anything seems incorrect or weird, let me know!  
> I've been putting off uploading this so I can look through it for errors but I feel like I've gone through it so many times it's driving me nuts so if you see anything I missed, let me know and I'll fix that ASAP!  
> I've also recently made a tumblr over at **[freckledyeezus](http://www.freckledyeezus.tumblr.com) ** so feel free to check me out there! I'm following basically everyone back since I only follow like, 10 people so stop by and say hello!  
> 


	2. Chapter 2

“So did you uh… sleep okay?” 

Marco glanced up from his suitcase, which was laid open on his bed, and gave Jean a small smile. “Uh, yeah,” he told him. “It’s… different from being at home, of course. But it’s okay.”

Jean nodded slowly, observing Marco from his place at his desk. He had twisted his desk chair to face Marco’s bed, his laptop opened to an abandoned game of Solitaire behind him. “Yeah. It takes a while to get used to, I guess.”

“Yeah…” Marco trailed off, tossing more clothes from his suitcase onto his bed. “I’m a pretty light sleeper. It’ll take a while to get a good night’s sleep.”

“Oh,” Jean mumbled. He paused for a moment, before twisting his chair back to face his laptop and tapping idly on the track pad. The room was filled with an awkward silence as Marco glanced back down at his suitcase, letting out a quiet sigh.

It hadn’t even been 24 hours since he had met his roommate, and things were already off to a tense start. Jean didn’t talk much, and when he did, it was only a few words here and there. Marco supposed it was a good thing that Jean was so curt with him – it was better not to get close to anyone here and risk any mistakes, although anything would be better than the uncomfortable silence. Even Annie was more talkative.

Marco continued to unpack his belongings, folding clothes and organizing them on the bed. He quickly glanced behind him to check that Jean wasn’t still watching him, and looked back down at his suitcase. His gun, extra clip, handcuffs, and pocketknife were at the bottom of his suitcase, wrapped in an old t-shirt. He wouldn’t be able to hide those in the room until Jean left. He left the shirt in the suitcase for now, making his way over to his drawers to put the clothes inside.

Jean sighed loudly, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms above his head. “I’m gonna go downstairs and get some breakfast,” he told Marco, standing from his chair and grabbing his student card. He paused for a moment, observing the other male. “Did you uh… want to come?”

“No, that’s okay,” Marco shook his head. “I’m gonna finish up here. Thanks for the offer, though.”

Jean nodded quickly, a relieved look washing over his features for a split second. He cleared his throat. “Oh, okay. I’ll, uh, see you in a bit.”

With that, Jean grabbed his keys and exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Marco glanced back at the door for a moment, before sighing deeply. He shoved the remainder of his clothes into the drawer and slammed it shut, making his way towards his bed.

Now that he had a few moments alone, he could hide his gun. He quickly unraveled the t-shirt, pulling out his gun and clips carefully. He glanced around the room for a moment, before his eyes landed on his desk drawer. It was right next to the foot of his bed, so he could easily access the gun if necessary (although he hoped he’d never have to).

He pulled open the top drawer, shifting his notebooks and school supplies to the side and placing the gun and clips down gently. He paused for a moment. Should he put his handcuffs in there as well? What about his knife?

“Shit,” Marco mumbled, placing a notebook on top of his gun. He arranged the items in the drawer to hide the gun and clips and closed it slowly, praying Jean wasn’t the type to snoop. He grabbed his knife and handcuffs and hesitated. It would be best to keep them in his backpack, since he was more likely to need them in public. But was it safe?

“It’ll be fine,” he reasoned, grabbing his backpack and unzipping it. He stuffed the two items into one of the inner zippered pockets. He quickly zipped both layers back up and placed his bag on the floor next to his desk.

Marco glanced around the dorm briefly, satisfied with his unpacking, and kicked his suitcase underneath his bed. Grabbing his laptop from his desk, he sat on the bed and pried it open, the screen flashing bright blue and prompting him to enter his password for the ‘Guest’ account.

The force had provided Marco with a laptop he could use for both school and policework. It had two accounts – one labelled ‘Marco,’ which could be used for school and miscellaneous use, and one labelled ‘Guest,’ which was a high-security system specifically for work-related information. (“No one ever uses the guest account,” Hanji had reasoned.)

Marco had emailed Hanji the previous night in order to gain access to the information on his new roommate and his friends. Hanji had been able to quickly gather the background checks for him, and they were waiting in his inbox.

He opened the secure browser and selected his email inbox, scanning it quickly to find the email from Hanji. He clicked open a new email and scanned it quickly, noticing three attachments – background checks on Connie Springer, Jean Kirschstein, and Reiner Braun. He smiled, grateful for Hanji’s efficiency, and quickly loaded the first file – Connie.

Marco hadn’t felt any immediate suspicion towards his roommate or his friends, but it was always good to know who he was dealing with. He felt it would be best to do a quick background check on everyone he came into contact with. The three boys didn’t seem like criminal masterminds, but Marco wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t check.

He quickly scanned through Connie’s file, brow furrowed as he scrolled. Since the background checks had been provided by the FBI representative, there was more information than Marco was used to having. Passport photo, date of birth, eye and hair color, height, address, family members, occupation, credit scores, and criminal offenses were a few of the notable points of the background check.

Marco’s eyes widened. It was unsettling how much information the FBI could easily gather on a person. He wondered for a moment what was in his own file, although he was sure they would never let him see it.

“Jeez…” Marco mumbled, focusing back on Connie’s file. He nodded slowly to himself as he processed the information within the pages. The boy was squeaky clean. An unemployed mother, and a father who owned an auto shop. Marco saw that Connie’s mother was clean as well, but his father had claimed bankruptcy a few years prior and had been charged with theft over twenty-five years ago, for which he had received community service. Connie himself had nothing notable in his record, save for a note about his credit score. Marco raised an eyebrow. At 21, Connie’s credit was already quite poor.

“Student loans, probably…” Marco muttered to himself as he scrolled through the income reports. He quickly closed Connie’s file, satisfied with the information, and moved onto Reiner’s. Reiner’s passport photo appeared in the top-right corner just as Connie’s had, but Marco immediately raised an eyebrow as he saw much more information begin to load than in the previous file. “Jesus…”

A quick glance through the file showed Marco that Reiner had a very troubled childhood. After the standard identification information, there were multiple files available for viewing from psychological assessments, to court transcripts, to police reports. Marco glanced up at his dorm room door. Jean wouldn’t be much longer… he should get through it as quick as possible.

Taking a few moments to click through the tabs and read the reports, Marco found that Reiner had an abusive mother who had passed away when he was 12. Child services had opened a case against her, although it had been thrown out once she had passed. There was no information on a father – not even a name. After a few years in the foster care system, Reiner had been emancipated at 18.

Scrolling through the criminal charges, Marco frowned as he read. Before and after being emancipated, Reiner had gathered a few criminal charges, including breaking and entering and destruction of public property, both of which he served time for in a juvenile detention facility. Reiner currently had a probation officer named Marcel, who he appeared to be keeping in contact with regularly.

“Huh…” Marco sat back for a moment, staring at the glowing screen. Reiner had seemed like a very level-headed and kind person when they met the previous night. He had been nothing but calm and polite. Generally, the young adults he met on the job with situations similar to Reiner had been rude and hostile, although he supposed it was an unfair comparison considering he wasn’t currently in uniform.

Marco clicked through Reiner’s file once more, finding no more important information. Thankfully, none of Reiner’s charges were drug or gang related and none of Marco’s concern. Marco would keep track of the probation officer’s monthly reports and as long as they remained positive, Marco would let it be.

He closed Reiner’s file, moving onto the final one – Jean. He opened it and glanced through it quickly, frowning lightly. There was nearly as much information as in Reiner’s file.

Jean’s mother was a nurse in Trost with an average salary and an otherwise clean record. His father was a criminal defense lawyer with a ridiculously high income, living a few cities away. There was a copy of his parents’ divorce papers, dating back eight years. His mother had won the custody battle.

Looking through the information in Jean’s father’s file, Marco read the report of a car accident his father had been involved in ten years ago, in which the family of three in the other car had been killed. Specifics of the accident were missing, although his father had spent the next six months in a rehab facility.

Returning back to Jean’s main file, Marco quickly scrolled through the general identification info, noting with amusement that Jean’s hair was, surprisingly, not dyed. He clicked over to the next tab, which was a report from the Trost District School Board. According to the report composed by the board’s child psychologist, Jean had many problems in elementary and high school in regards to fights, and had been expelled and transferred mid-semester to a boarding school in his freshman year of high school.

He frowned deeply, scrolling in hopes to find information related to the expulsion. Although there was numerous letters from the school board and therapists, no details had been provided in regards to the fight or transfer, simply stating that he was ‘troubled’ and ‘did not get along well with others.’

He flipped through the tabs once more, hoping to find something he may have missed. Before he could read a therapist’s report, there was a harsh knock at the door, causing Marco to jump in surprise. He quickly slammed the laptop shut, pushing it onto the bed next to him.

The knocking continued, loud and erratic. “Jeaaaaannnnnnnn!” Connie’s muffled voice could be heard. “Open up! We’re bored!”

Marco quickly stood from the bed, heading for the door and opening it. Connie was waiting in front of the door, and Reiner was leaning on the wall behind him. Connie blinked in surprise, before grinning widely. “Marco! Hey!”

“Hi, guys,” Marco smiled, shutting the door behind the two as they entered. “Sorry, Jean’s getting breakfast.”

“That’s okay, we’ll wait!” Connie shrugged, heading straight for Jean’s desk and rummaging through the top drawer as Reiner sat down on Jean’s poorly made bed. “A-ha!” Connie grinned triumphantly, pulling a granola bar from Jean’s drawer victoriously, ripping it open and taking a large bite. Reiner smiled in amusement as Connie plopped down on the bed next to him.

“So what are you up to today, Marco?” Reiner asked.

“Uh, nothing…” Marco shrugged, glancing down at his laptop as he resumed his place on the bed. “Just some work.”

“Boring!” Connie snorted around a mouthful of granola bar. “You should hang out with us!”

“Yeah, we might watch a movie in our room tonight. Or go out, depending on Jean’s mood.” Reiner told him.

“Out?” Marco blinked. Connie nodded eagerly.

“There’s this nearby bar we go to sometimes,” Reiner explained. He paused for a moment. “You are 21… right?”

“Of course he is!” Connie scoffed. “There’s no way you’re younger than us, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m 21,” Marco told them, racking his brain for his false birthday. “My birthday was two months ago."

“Good,” Reiner nodded. “You should definitely come, then.”

“I don’t know…” Marco mumbled. “I don’t… drink, really.”

Was it really safe to be going out and drinking with them? He didn’t know them well enough, and wasn’t sure how to go about doing his assignment properly. Although, it was important to blend in and this would give him the opportunity to keep an eye out for any drugs he could link back to the Beast.

“That’s okay, Jean doesn’t drunk much either!” Connie smiled. “He’s a total lightweight.”

“No one gets as wasted as Connie,” Reiner grinned, “so don’t even worry about embarrassing yourself. This one is embarrassing enough for the rest of us.”

“Hey, I’m a normal college guy!” Connie protested, flopping backwards onto the bed. “I’m wasting my precious youth if I’m in _college_ and I don’t party regularly!”

At this, Reiner rolled his eyes and Marco chuckled.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Jean’s voice interrupted their laughter and Marco turned his head to see Jean enter the room, shutting the door behind him. He placed a paper bag onto the small table near the door and turned to face the others.

“We’re bored!” Connie told him, sitting upright. “Let’s do something.”

“We have class tomorrow,” Jean mumbled, placing his student card onto his desk. “I have to get my shit together.”

“Jean, you haven’t come out with us once since we got here,” Reiner frowned. “Just relax a bit before classes start.”

“I’m just gonna end up taking care of the two of you when you get wasted,” Jean sighed, stretching his arms over his head. “I’d rather sleep at a decent time, without vomit on my shoes,” he glanced pointedly at Connie.

“That was _one time_ ,” Connie sighed. Marco chuckled as Jean rolled his eyes. Jean pulled his desk chair out, straddling it backwards and facing the others.

“Fine, I’ll go,” he shrugged. He glanced at Marco. “You comin’ too?”

“Oh, uh, I’m not sure,” Marco said quickly. “I wouldn’t want to get in your way.”

“Come on, dude,” Connie sat upright, looking at Marco. “We invited you! You’re not going to be in anyone’s way!”

“Well, it _does_ sound fun,” Marco said quietly, smiling. “…Yeah sure, why not?”

“Alright!” Connie jumped upright, tossing the rest of the granola bar into his mouth. Reiner stood from the bed, nodding.

“I’m gonna go to the gym. We can meet in front of your room tonight at 10?”

“Sure,” Jean nodded. Connie stood as well, following Reiner to the door.

“I’m gonna go see what the others are doing. We’ll see you later!” he waved goodbye as they exited the room. Once they shut the door, Marco glanced over at Jean to see him sigh deeply, standing from his chair and flopping face-down onto his bed.

Jean turned his head so it was sideways on the pillow, staring at Marco for a moment. “You’re gonna wish you said no,” he spoke, voice slightly muffled. Marco smiled.

“That bad?”

“You have no idea,” Jean sighed, shifting so he was laying on his side, still facing Marco. “They always get hammered. And Connie always ends up sick.”

“And you’re stuck helping them?”

“Always,” Jean huffed. Marco grinned. Jean stared at him in silence for a few more moments. “You don’t really seem like a party type.”

“I’m not… at all,” Marco shook his head. “I always embarrass myself. I usually end up taking care of my friends, too.” He thought back to the police force’s Christmas party last year – Hitch had drunkenly revealed to Marco that she found him attractive and wouldn't mind him joining her and Marlowe for a night, which has resulted in Marlowe preparing to fight Marco in the middle of the office, and Hanji had spiked Moblit’s drinks in order to help him loosen up, causing him to vomit on Levi’s shoes. Marco had quickly brought him home to spare him from Levi’s wrath.

“You’re not from around here, right?” Jean asked quietly. Marco nodded. “…You miss ‘em?”

“I’m from Jinae,” Marco laid on his back, crossing his arms behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. “I do miss them, actually… a lot.”

“I’ve been to Jinae before,” Jean mused. “Small town.”

“It is,” Marco agreed. “It’s nice, though.”

Jean hummed in acknowledgement. Silence filled the room and Marco smiled lightly as he continued to stare up at the ceiling. It seemed like Jean had slowly begun to warm up to him, and he had already been invited out with him and his friends, which would be an excellent opportunity to begin hunting for dealers.

“I’m going to go see my cousin,” Marco said suddenly, sitting upright and sliding from his bed. Levi would definitely want to come tonight. “See how he’s settling in.”

“Okay,” Jean said, pulling his blanket over his body. “I’m gonna nap for a bit. I don’t doubt I’ll be out late.”

“I’ll see you,” Marco told him, grabbing his room key and phone. He exited the dorm, making sure to lock it behind him. He glanced down at his phone for the text from Levi he had received last night informing him where his room was.

Taking the elevator up to the next floor, Marco quickly made his way down the hallway towards the room number Levi had given him. Knocking quickly on the door labelled 405, he waited a moment before it swung open.

“Marco,” Levi’s familiar monotonous voice greeted him.

“Morning, Sar- err, Levi…? What’s… up?” Marco winced as Levi rolled his eyes.

“Just come in,” Levi sighed, stepping to the side so Marco could enter. Marco followed him inside, glancing around. The dorm was similar to his own, although Marco could immediately tell which side belonged to Levi – he could recognize that military-standard bed making anywhere.

“Scare your roommate away already?” Marco grinned as he sat in Levi’s roommate’s desk chair. Levi shot him a glare.

“Just because we’re out of the office doesn’t mean you can get smart with me, Bodt,” he warned, grabbing a steaming mug and taking a sip. “His name’s Gunther Shultz. He’s clean.”

“Mine too,” Marco told him as Levi sat across from him. “Jean Kirschstein. His friends are clean too. One was a juvie kid but he’s meeting with his P.O regularly.”

“Good,” Levi nodded.

“They invited me to go out tonight, actually.” Levi raised an eyebrow at this. “I wanted to let you know so you could join. We could scope the place out.”

“Okay,” Levi nodded. He stood from his seat and headed for his bed, crouching and pulling his suitcase from underneath. “Thanks to our dear friends at the DEA, they’ve sent us some things for us to use.” He unzipped the suitcase, rummaging through it for a moment before pulling out a small leather case.

“Are those _wires_?” Marco raised an eyebrow as Levi began pulling out earpieces.

“Essentially,” Levi told him, spreading the wires onto his bed. “They’re for use between the two of us. No one will be listening in, but Hanji also has an earpiece that she can use when we tell her to. Otherwise, it’s just for us when we need to talk but can’t be seen together. Tonight, for example.”  

“Isn’t that a bit… excessive?” Marco asked hesitantly as Levi handed him a small, nude earbud and an arrangement of wires and plugs.

“It is,” Levi agreed. “But working for a small police force you’re never going to see gadgets like these. The FBI and DEA like to go all out, so we might as well take advantage of their generosity.”

“We’re like real spies or something,” Marco spoke excitedly as he flipped the small switch on the earbud, placing it into his ear. “Let’s try them!”

“Let’s not,” Levi shot him an amused glance. “Clearly acting younger than you are isn’t a struggle for you.”

Marco shoulders slumped as he pulled the bud from his ear. “Fine,” he mumbled. “There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun while we’re here. You, on the other hand, are still acting – and _dressing_ – like a stuck up old man.”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Levi demanded, glancing down at himself.

“Sarge, you dress like my grandpa,” Marco sighed, gesturing towards Levi’s slacks and button-up. “Don’t you have anything else?”

“This coming from the guy wearing a _polo shirt,_ ” Levi snapped, heading for his closet and sliding it open. “You look like an ass.”

“At least I don’t have the collar popped,” Marco shrugged, coming to stand by Levi. He glanced around the closet, before reaching in to pull out a pair of dark jeans.

“Here. Don’t ever wear those pants again. Stick to only jeans and shirts like… this one,” he stuck his hand in once more, coming out with a plain white t-shirt. “I’m actually surprised you even have these.”

“Hanji bought me those before we came,” Levi muttered darkly, snatching them from Marco and throwing them onto his bed. “I’ll work on my clothes, then. Just send me a text when you know where you’re going. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay,” Marco told him. “They’re leaving at 10.”

“10?” Levi repeated. “Jesus. Why that late?”

“That’s not late to college students,” Marco grinned cheekily. “You’ll have to learn to keep up, old man.”

“Shut up,” Levi muttered, heading for the door and pulling it open. “Go. Go do something useful, far away from me.”

Marco chuckled, heading for the door. “See you later, Levi. Thanks for this,” he said, holding up the wire. Levi nodded, shooing him through the door.

Marco shook his head in amusement, smiling as he headed towards the elevators, putting the wires into his pocket.

 

* * *

 

 

“Is this place always so busy?” Marco asked as he glanced around, observing the crowds of college students walking across the closed-off road. Sandwiched between a deli and convenience store was a mid-sized bar with a rustic look to it, a large sign hanging above the door that read ‘The Wall.’

It was fairly close to campus, and seemed to be filled to the brim with students. There was a small outdoor patio area, each table filled with people smoking and drinking. Marco couldn’t help noticing the distinctive smell of marijuana coming from one of the hookahs on the tables.

“Yep,” Connie nodded as they approached the doorway. “Especially during exam time – every night you’ll see people in here drinking their sorrows away after a bad exam.”

“Connie is their best customer,” Jean added, a smirk on his face. Reiner laughed, nodding in agreement. “He’s on a first-name basis with all of the bartenders.”

“ _Listen_ , there is nothing wrong with enjoying my youth!” Connie snapped, throwing the door open and allowing the others to enter first. “Get in, ya assholes.”

Marco laughed as he entered, glancing around the dimly lit bar. There was a band playing off to the side on the small stage as patrons occupied every table and seat at the bar. This would be a good place to look around for any potential dealers. He quickly pulled out his phone to send Levi a text, only to find that he had one unread message.

          **From: Levi  
          I’m here. Sitting at the bar. Turn your earpiece on.**

Marco quickly glanced up to see Levi’s familiar head of hair at the busy bar, sitting on one of the stools as he cradled a drink in his hands. He flipped the switch on his earpiece he had put on earlier, casually playing it off as though he was scratching his ear.

“What the hell is _that_?” Connie’s loud voice caused Marco to jump, whirling around to face him.

“I – uh –” Marco stuttered. _Fuck_. There was no way Connie could have seen the earpiece…

“This thing is like prehistoric!” Connie grabbed Marco’s phone from his hands, turning it over in his palm. “I didn’t even know BlackBerry still existed!”

“Oh,” Marco couldn’t help the flood of relief he felt, shoulders relaxing slightly. He quickly grabbed it back from Connie, thankful that it was password protected. “I don’t know. I just… never saw the need to upgrade.”

Truthfully, the BlackBerry had been provided by the force for the assignment. It was a much more secure network than Marco’s regular smartphone, and was a necessity.

“Jean’s the same,” Reiner cut in, grinning. “He’s still using a shitty flip phone.”

“Shut up,” Jean muttered, elbowing Reiner in the side.

“Yeah, it’s not like you can’t afford to upgrade,” Connie teased. “Yet instead, every time you break your phone you get another shitty disposable.” Jean shot him a look, causing Connie to immediately shut his mouth. Marco blinked.

“I’m getting a drink,” Jean said quickly, brushing past Reiner and Marco. “You guys want anything?”

“I’ll join you,” Reiner said. “You guys wanna grab a table?”

“Yeah, c’mon Marco!” Connie gestured for Marco to follow him through the crowd as Reiner and Jean headed for the bar. Marco followed Connie until they reached an empty table near the small stage the band was set up on.

 _“Your new friends seem kind of irritating,”_ a small voice caused Marco to jump slightly. He realized it was Levi over the wire. He got Connie a glance as they sat down in their seats. He couldn’t exactly respond to Levi without him noticing.

“I hate this band,” Connie sighed as he glanced towards the stage. “This hipster bullshit…”

_“At least that one has some common sense.”_

Marco ignored Levi in his ear, smiling lightly. “It’s not so bad,” he shrugged. Connie rolled his eyes.

“My girlfriend _loves_ this shit! That lame singer always tries to flirt with her, too,” he narrowed his eyes, shooting the singer a glare. The scrawny blond on stage noticed Connie and narrowed his eyes at him as he continued to perform. “Yeah, fuck you too, Thomas.”

“Girlfriend?” Marco questioned. “Is she coming tonight?”

“Nah,” Connie leaned back in his seat. “She’s hanging out with her friends. You’d like her though. Name’s Sasha.”

“I’ll have to meet her, then,” Marco smiled and Connie grinned widely, nodding.

“Nice table choice,” Reiner’s voice was raised over the music as he placed a cold beer bottle on top of Connie’s shaved head, causing the smaller man to try out from the cold. “Right next to your favorite singer.”

“He’s probably disappointed to see Sasha’s not here,” Jean commented as he slid into the seat next to Marco, sliding a beer over to him. “Here.”

“Thanks,” Marco smiled appreciatively, grabbing the beer and taking a drink.

“Man, he’s such a tool,” Reiner commented loudly as he leaned back in his seat next to Connie, observing as the singer winked at the girls at the table nearest to the stage. Jean nodded in agreement, taking a swig of his beer as the girls began to blush and giggle among themselves.

 _“A group of girls rented a hookah and put pot in it,”_ Levi whispered into the earpiece. _“I asked for their hookup, but they just tried to get me to smoke and spend the night with them… as if I’d be interested.”_ Marco couldn’t help but roll his eyes, shooting a sideways glance at Levi, seeing him holding his drink to his lips to cover the fact that he was essentially speaking to himself. _“Anyway, it was a bust. Some sketchy guys just went into the bathroom, though.”_

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Marco spoke, standing from his seat. “I’ll be right back.”

“What, you don’t wanna listen to this quality music we have here?” Connie asked loudly, gesturing towards the band on stage with the beer in his hand. “Come on, I bet you they’re gonna play Wonderwall! Aren’t you, ya cliché little shit?” he called out. Thomas held his middle finger up towards Connie as he continued to hum into the microphone. Jean snorted and Reiner couldn’t help but grin widely.

“It’s next to the bar,” he told Marco, who nodded and pushed his seat in, heading for the back of the bar.

He passed by Levi, who gave him a nod of acknowledgement, and headed for the bathroom. As he entered, he saw two boys huddled around the sink, talking in low voices. He headed for the urinals, casually glancing over to see them handling a small Ziploc bag, although he couldn’t see what was inside.

He quickly used the urinal, flushed, and headed for the sinks. They shifted to the side to allow him room to wash his hands. His eyes trailed over to see small bright blue and green tablets in the bag as he washed his hands.

“Those look interesting,” he commented, shooting them a grin. The boys glanced up at him with irritated expressions.

“Mind your own business, dude,” the one boy muttered.

“Oh, I’m just new in town,” Marco explained as he shook the water from his hands. “I’m not sure where to start… y’know, buying?”

“Listen, freckles,” the other boy interjected. “I don’t know what you heard, but we ain’t the people you should be asking. You a narc or something?”

“Narc? No!” Marco couldn’t help the slight flush to his cheeks. “It was just a question.”

“Go find someone else, frecks. We can’t help you.” The two grabbed their bags, heading past Marco for the door. He waited for them to leave until he sighed deeply, shoulders slumping.

 _“Good one, narc,”_ Levi’s light, mocking tone was in his ears once more. Marco’s eyes narrowed.

“Shut up,” he muttered, heading for the door. “You didn’t do any better.”

 _“At least I was propositioned,”_ Levi muttered. _“Not called a narc.”_

 _“Excuse me,”_ another voice could be heard over the earpiece and Marco frowned deeply. _“I couldn’t help but notice you sitting alone…”_

He exited the bathroom to see Levi still in his seat, his back to Marco, as a man approached him, sitting in the stool next to him. He was tall, blond, and handsome, offering Levi a charming smile.

 _“And that’s how it’s gonna stay,”_ Levi snapped, giving the man a glare. Marco couldn’t help but grin widely.

“Have a good night, Sarge,” he said quietly as he made his way through the crowd. “I’m turning my earpiece off.”

 _“Can I buy you another drink? I –”_   The blond man’s offer was cut short as Marco switched the earpiece off, smiling in amusement as he reached his table.

“He returns!” Reiner shouted, holding his beer bottle in the air. Connie let out a loud cheer, downing a shot. Marco noticed his cheeks were slightly flushed pink. A few empty shot glasses littered the table.

“What did I miss?” Marco asked as he sat down. Jean sighed, placing his beer down.

“What happens every time,” he explained, leaning back in his seat and observing as Reiner and Connie counted up the empty shot glasses in front of each of them. “There always ends up being some sort of competition between these two – who’s tougher, who can drink more, who gets more ass…”

“In the few minutes I was gone, they managed to drink that much?” Marco’s eyes widened, counting the dozen shot glasses. Jean nodded, shooting Marco an amused smirk.

“You should see them after exams.”

“7! A _-ha_! I beat you again.” Reiner crossed his arms over his chest smugly. Connie glanced down at his empty 5 shot glasses.

“I was close! Rematch?”

“No!” Jean interjected quickly, slamming his empty beer bottle down. “I’m restricting you guys to beer only for the rest of the night. You’re gonna regret this in the morning.”

“Whatever, buzzkill,” Connie snorted. “This round’s on you, then!”

“Fine, fine,” Jean muttered, getting up from his seat.

"Want some help?" Marco asked. Jean stared at him for a moment before shrugging and walking towards the bar. Marco quickly stood, following him through the crowd. 

"What do you want?" Jean asked as Marco caught up to him, glancing around for an employee once they reached the bar. 

"I'll just uh, get another beer," Marco told him and Jean nodded, flagging down a bartender. "Are you... feeling okay?"

Jean quickly turned his head to stare at him, furrowing his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I just meant, you look like you really don't want to be here," Marco explained. Jean sighed deeply.

"Yeah, can we get 4 of those? Yeah, thanks," Jean spoke to the bartender, pointing at a beer bottle behind the counter. He turned to face Marco once the bartender had left. "I'm fine. I just... I'm not as social as those guys are. Sorry I'm such a buzzkill."

"You're not a buzzkill," Marco smiled warmly. Jean raised an eyebrow. "I just wasn't sure if me being here was pissing you off."

"Nah," Jean told him, slapping a bill on the table as they each grabbed two of the bottles the bartender handed them. They turned to head back towards the table. "You're cool. I just wasn't up for taking care of the drunkos tonight."

"Jeannnnnnn!" Connie spoke loudly as they came into view of the table. Reiner gave them a dumb smile. Judging by their flushed cheeks and slightly glassy eyes, the shots had begun to take effect on them. "Missed you, dude."

"You too, Con," Jean told him, placing a bottle in front of him.

"Thanks, man," Reiner grinned as Marco handed him his own bottle. "You're cool as hell, y'know. I think we're all gonna be good friends."

"Thanks, Reiner," Marco laughed brightly. "I think so too." He sat down, taking a swig from his new beer bottle. Jean rolled his eyes, taking his seat once more as well.

"When Reiner drinks a lot, he -"

“Uh-oh!” Connie interrupted loudly. “Here comes the acoustic!”

Marco glanced over to see Thomas on stage, switching from his electric guitar to his acoustic, tightening the strap over his shoulder and glaring daggers down at Connie. He gave it a few quick strums before resuming his place behind the microphone, clearing his throat. He began to play the beginning notes of a song on his guitar, before Connie and Reiner cried out loudly.

“Ahhh! _Wonderwall_!” Connie yelled, slamming a hand down onto the table. “I called it! Next round is on me!”

“Fuck off, Springer!” Thomas yelled into the microphone, before clearing his throat once more and beginning to sing. “ _Today is gonna be the day that they’re gonna throw it back to you…”_

“I fucking knew he’d sing it,” Reiner shook his head. Jean snorted into his drink. Marco couldn’t help but laugh as Thomas continued to sing Wonderwall, Connie and Reiner obnoxiously swaying to the music.

“ _’cause maaayyyyyyyybeeeeeeee_!” Connie crooned loudly, wrapping an arm around Reiner’s shoulder as they continued to sway. “ _You’re gonna be the one that saves meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”_

 _“And after aaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll_!” Reiner joined in, the two yelling out the lyrics as Thomas clenched his jaw, continuing to perform. Marco and Jean couldn’t help but snicker at the complete anger on Thomas’ face as he attempted to keep his composure. _“You’re my wonderwaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllll!”_

“Guys, seriously,” Jean spoke loudly over the two’s obnoxious singing. “Chill. You’re gonna get kicked out.”

“Why?!” Connie took a break from singing to give Jean a grin. “Last week, y’know he tried inviting Sasha back to his dorm?!”

“He just doesn’t get it,” Reiner shook his head, removing his arm from around Connie. “Just looking at him pisses me off. Let’s get outta here."

"And go where?" Jean asked tiredly.

"We could go to that other bar down the road," Reiner suggested.

“The one with the shitty dance music?” Connie grinned. “Yeah, okay!”

“Really, guys?” Jean sighed heavily. “Reiner, I thought you were banned from there.”

“What?” Marco’s eyes widened. Reiner grinned widely, rubbing the back of his head.

“The guy wouldn’t stop bothering our friend Krista after she told him to go away. He had it comin’.”

“Yep. I think he’s still got a cast on,” Connie nodded. Jean rolled his eyes.

“Well, I’m not coming,” he shrugged, finishing the remainder of his beer. “I’m gonna head back early tonight.”

“Come on, Jean!” Connie whined. “Just one hour.”

“One hour turns into three,” Jean shook his head. “I’m going back to my room.”

“What about you, Marco?” Reiner asked. “Come with us.”

“Actually,” Marco gave an embarrassed smile. “I’m not the dancing type… I think I’d rather head back too.”

At this, Jean turned to look at Marco, giving him a curious stare. “Really?”

“Yeah, is that okay? If you want to be alone for a bit, I get it.”

“No,” Jean said quickly, shaking his head. “It’s cool, I’m just… surprised, I guess.”

“You’re both _boring_ ,” Connie huffed. “Fine, go home. Be lame. _We’re_ gonna go have fun and dance our asses off.”

“Agreed,” Reiner grinned as they stood, pushing their chairs in. “I can’t stand another minute of this douche’s music anyway,” he said loudly, gesturing towards Thomas on stage.

They headed for the door, and Marco shot a quick glance back at Levi. He noticed him still sitting at the bar, the blond man on the stool next to him. His lips quirked into a smile as he noticed the blond man still attempting to have a conversation with Levi, who had an eyebrow raised in mild curiosity.

“Well, we’ll see you guys tomorrow!” Connie waved goodbye as they parted ways after exiting the bar. Connie and Reiner headed down the opposite way, towards the numerous bars lining the street as Marco followed Jean back the way they came.

“Night!” Marco called out before turning to follow Jean, quickly matching his pace.

“You sure you don’t wanna join them?” Jean asked, shooting Marco a side glance as they walked down the busy road. Drunk, loud young adults littered the roads, spilling their drinks and calling out to each other. Two girls squealed and pulled each other into a tight hug in front of Jean and Marco, who quickly side-stepped to avoid bumping into them. Marco was thankful the police had set up a road-block so cars couldn’t enter this area.

“It's fine. I'm okay,” Marco told him.

“If you said no so I wouldn’t be alone, I don’t need any company,” Jean snapped. Marco raised an eyebrow.

“I… I didn’t,” Marco said slowly. “It’s just… not my kind of thing.”

“…Oh,” Jean spoke, glancing down at his feet. “Sorry.”

“No problem.”

“It’s just – sometimes… they always act like I’m some poor recluse or something. I _like_ being alone. I don’t need them to force me to go out.”

“I get that,” Marco nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. “They just want you to have fun, I guess.”

“Yeah, but sometimes they’re so suffocating,” Jean muttered, furrowing his brows. Marco smiled lightly.

“You’re lucky to have friends like them. They just care about you,” he told him. Jean looked over at him once more before his facial expression softened slightly.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I am kind of a dick to them sometimes… most of the time,” he admitted. “But they’re always understanding.”

“I’m sure they don’t think you’re a dick,” Marco told him. “You can’t help it if you don’t like all of the things they do. They obviously think you’re a good guy and enjoy your company if they’re such good friends with you.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jean mumbled. He gave Marco a small smile – the first genuine smile Marco had seen from him. He felt his stomach twist slightly. “Y’know… you’re a pretty cool guy, Marco.”

“Thanks, Jean,” Marco grinned widely in return. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

They spent the rest of the walk to their dorm in silence, although a light smile remained on Marco's face. He had struck out with potential links to the Titans, but knew another opportunity wouldn't be hard to come by. He would work out a plan with Levi in the morning to begin a thorough search for the dealers. Despite the lack of progress in their assignment, Marco felt content. Thinking of Jean's smile, he couldn’t help but feel like he had accomplished something that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while since I updated - so sorry! As always, constructive criticism is very welcome. I feel like this chapter could be better, but I was dying to get it up after such a long time. I may go back to edit it later.  
> Thank you so much to everyone who has commented/bookmarked/left a kudos on this work... you're all fantastic!  
> Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up much sooner now that I have an actual solid plan for this story (I promise, it's gonna be good.)   
> Is it premature for me to say I'm tracking the tag "fic: clandestine" on tumblr? Maybe. But if you feel like it, let's be tumblr friends! Find me at [freckledyeezus](http://www.freckledyeezus.tumblr.com)!


End file.
